Vikings vs. Broncos: A tale of two halves

The Minnesota Vikings got off to their slowest start of the season Sunday afternoon, falling behind the Denver Broncos 20-0 in the first half. The Broncos were able to expose the Vikings secondary, while the Vikings offense just couldn’t find their …

The Minnesota Vikings got off to their slowest start of the season Sunday afternoon, falling behind the Denver Broncos 20-0 in the first half. The Broncos were able to expose the Vikings secondary, while the Vikings offense just couldn’t find their rhythm. 

At halftime, the Vikings made some adjustments that clearly paid off as they outscored the Broncos 27-3 in the second half. In the Mike Zimmer era, the Vikings hadn’t won a game after being down 20 or more points.

It was a completely different team in the second half, where the Vikings did something no other team has done in the past 40 years. 

A huge reason for the success in the second half was due to the great performance by Kirk Cousins, who finished his day 29-35 with 319 yards and three touchdowns. 

In the second half, Cousins looked as good as any quarterback in the NFL, delivering a few of his best-thrown balls in a Vikings uniform. 

Without the strong play of Cousins against a solid Denver defense, Vikings fans would have left U.S. Bank Stadium with the same feeling they had at halftime. 

The secondary was a weak point throughout the game, but they stepped up when it mattered most. Jayron Kearse, who finished the Cowboys game intercepting the Hail Mary attempt, sealed the game again today by breaking up a pass attempt to Noah Fant. 

With Harrison Smith going down with a hamstring injury, and Anthony Harris already sidelined to start the game, someone needed to step up in the secondary. Kearse, the former seventh-round pick out of Clemson, did exactly that making multiple plays in the final minutes of the game. 

The Vikings are now heading into their bye week, which couldn’t have come at a better time. With so many Vikings starters hurt, this week will be crucial for their healing process. In two weeks, the Vikings travel to Seattle for a Monday night matchup between two of the hottest quarterbacks in football in Kirk Cousins and Russell Wilson.